Dim's Write Stuff

There's nothing to not like about Stanton's latest junior graphic fiction series, Fluff . Except maybe bullies, which Gilbert and his gigantic fluffy bunny buddy do, with a passion. In fact their borderline self-righteousness and desire to wreak revenge on their arch nemesis, Carl, becomes their soul purpose and the core of this cute and quirky tale which features tonnes of turtles, parmesan cheese, drones and undies in weird places. Kids will love the zaniness, the absurdity, the talking fish (I did) and the extremely brilliant illustrations swimming with motion and madness (the facial expressions alone are a crack up).  What makes a great graphic novel experience superlative are the touches of tenderness secreted amidst the crazy. Stanton does this quietly and with great effect beginning with the 'bit at the beginning' which is in fact the hook for book #2 right there (for me anyways). Along with the series's namesake of course.  We learn that Gilbert lost his f...

Fate and circumstance are curious things that can set storytelling wheels in motion with the most extraordinary outcomes. From the dexterous mind and unfathomable imaginings of Kate DiCamillo comes a new, spellbindingly illustrated fiction that bewitches and bemuses. Five exquisite puppets each with a personality and power peculiar to their maker’s whimsy are locked in a trunk after their former master forsakes them, their story and himself. And that is where their real story begins. An adventure, a quest, a parody of unfortunate near disasters, twists and awkward turns that involves each of the puppets in turn and ultimately as a one for they are all in the same story. Of this they are certain and so vow to each other to remain in the telling until the end. Their journey evokes wonder in simple beauties that are easily overlooked; the colour of moonlight through an open window for instance. The vagaries of misguided vanity. The heartbreak of unrequited expectations. And like the ...

Bear and Bird are best friends and that is all you really need to know because the rest of this book and its counterpart, The Picnic and Other Stories , also by the uber talented, Jarvis, is simply a wonderful venture into the relationship between these two. Like the friendship of many small children, Bear and Bird’s is one of unrestrained candour and genuine purity of spirit. They share, care and yes, argue; sometimes over the most inane things, like a spoon. In this collection of four short and super sweet stories, the spoon causes a quaking rift between the two companions prompting Bear to write a letter looking for a new friend. Extreme reactions indeed, that result in a new connection with another lost soul also seeking a new confidant. Ironically, both end up anonymously describing all the wonderful things they cherish and have in common with the other, because of course, unbeknownst to themselves, they have been writing to each. This and the other stories about stars and ca...

Illustrated stories about the profound transformative powers of story telling featuring animals as deputies for emotional guidance and reinforcement are a welcome feature on my bookshelves of late. Recent reviews encompassing this premise include TheBeatryce Prophecy by Kate Di Camillo and Sophie Blackall. Zadie Ma and the Dog Who Chased the Moon by the current Australian Children’s Laureate , Gabrielle Wang is another exemplary example. Zadie is the daughter of an immigrant Chinese Australian family in mid 50s Victoria, a period of history where time was more relaxed but attitudes were still coloured by bigoted, post war thinking and ignorance. Zadie fights hard to maintain her inconspicuous status as school and is conscious of being the dutiful daughter at home, helping Ma in their family run milk bar. But her penultimate talent lies in storytelling. Her brother, Teddy calls it her superpower: the ability to pen a story and then have it come true. Dog-loving Zadie is desperate...

A recalcitrant goat, a gung-ho orphaned boy. An exiled self-doubting monk and a battle-scared girl who would be queen. These are just some of the extraordinary characters that people The Beatryce Prophecy . Bubbling with medieval barbarities at a time when misguided kings and ruthless ambition collide with common decency and humanity, this tale embraces an astonishing number of ideas all deftly woven into one rich reading experience thanks to DiCamillo’s sure hand. Beatryce is found blooded and battered in the stalls of Brother Edik’s monastery. She is feverish and unresponsive. The monastery’s arch nemesis, Answelica, an irascible goat who prefers to bite first and consider later, stands guard. She answers to no one but when Brother Edik announces to the goat that he must tend to Beatryce, a reluctant acquiescence occurs on Answelica’s part. And so then begins an incongruous relationship the deepens with time and necessity. Beatryce is nursed back to health but presents a new dan...

At a time when I was in deep exchange with fellow creatives including the adroit children’s literature author, Professor Emeritus Gary Crew about whether or not there was or should be more divergence (convergence) of creative styles and elements across Kids’ Lit genres, this book came along. We Were Wolves is not the first illustrated fiction for older readers to ever grace our children’s bookshelves; many well-known middle grade novel series feature drawings, often in subsequent editions, that increase reach and re-ignite story interest. It is however a telling example of the growing shifts to provide more heavily illustrated books for older readers, namely young adults. And I couldn’t be more pleased. This hardcover edition by accomplished illustrator, Jason Cockcroft, is his first novel and it’s a ripper. Few of the 207 odd pages are left unmarked by Cockcroft’s exquisite greyscale illustrations, some claiming entire pages, others creating intimate border details that enhance n...

This graphic junior novel is a tactile and visual pleasure. Kids will hoot with pleasure at the antics of our seriously flawed, emotionally fragile main character, Vognox and his ever faithful fearless side kick, Drax, the Arctic fox. Despite his Viking heritage and rocking Viking helmet, Vognox has a strong aversion for adventure. He detests it and wants to avoid it at all costs because adventure makes you sick in the tummy with fear and dread and could get you killed! He'd much rather stay home for tea and retire early to bed. Despite Drax's diminutive size, he is the cleverest fox in all of Midgard and devotes his life to bailing Vognox out of tricky situations. Life wouldn't be so tricky if it wasn't for Awful Awfa, the surreptitious hand who repeatedly causes mayhem and madness by sketching Vognox and Drax in increasingly desperate situations as they pursue the Awfa's missing pencil. Without it, they may cease to exist. And if that happens, there'll...

This joyfully illustrated new junior series by gifted author / illustrator, Tania McCartney is an exuberant romp about the garden and neighbourhood playgrounds with best friends, Evie and Pog. One is a young girl who adores cake, knitting and favours daisies above any other pretty thing. If Evie could read books, bake cakes and roll about in the daisy-spot grass all day, her life would be near complete, much the same way a dog's would be. In fact, sometimes Evie's behaviour is more pooch-like than her best friend, Pog's. Pog is a young - well let's call him a Pug type breed of dog who's predilections for vegetables, engaging newspaper stories and a good pot of tea seem a little whacky or rather out of whack at first, but soon settle into the tone of the story. For it is precisely Pog's refined and reserved nature along with his level-headedness that cleverly counterbalances Evie's compulsive and clumsy capers (she trips over a lot!). These two spe...

 They say the cure for anything is salt: be it sweat, tears, or the sea . I say, the same applies with stories , for within a cleverly crafted collection of words great knowledge and opinion may be stockpiled and revisited as you would a favourite secret haunt. What’s more, like salt, salt, everywhere, it’s sometimes difficult to discern the most satisfying, nourishing story – the one that’s just right for you – from the vast ocean of tales out there. With Christmas gift lists in mind, I’ve put together a wee list of a huge selection of stories, some of which may well end up as one of your life essentials. Be warned, there’ll be more to follow in the weeks leading up to Christmas so make sure your listing-making essentials are in good supply. If you obsess over lists and book recommendations as much as I do, then check out Megan Daley’s awesome, Children’s Books Daily site for a great collection of Book Lists broken down into age groups. Boomerang Books online have a g...